Painless

Painless #1

by Derek Ciccone

Pain means you're still alive.

Billy Harper is trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered life when he rents a cottage on the property of Chuck and Beth Whitcomb in New Canaan, Connecticut. He's had everything that matters
stolen from him, leaving his heart numb. But when he meets the Whitcomb's four-year-old daughter, Carolyn, she teaches him what it is to live again, and his heart begins to thaw.

But a series of ominous incidents make it apparent that there is something very wrong with Carolyn Whitcomb. It escalates to an incident so surreal that Billy wonders if she might be an alien, or maybe she truly is his angel. But when a rogue military organization called Operation Anesthesia learns of Carolyn's "gifts," Billy must risk everything to save the life of the little girl who helped him to live again.

Derek Ciccone is an avid fiction writer who has written eight novels. Painlessis the first one to be published. Derek grew up in Connecticut and attended Arizona State University, where he graduated with a degree in Political Science. He now resides back in Connecticut and works as a Marketing Analyst for an advertising agency. For more information on Derek and his writing you can go to his website www.derekciccone.com or follow the progress of Painless and his other work by joining his interactive book club on Facebook.

Contact derekbkclb@yahoo.com

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Supernatural, Ebooks

Nook

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jaime · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope. Can't do it. Even for a free book. Writing was crappy and cliche. Anything but painless (see...it hurts, huh?).

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cons first: I found some of what the girl says to be far beyond the 4 years old that is claimed, even when she’s supposed to be intelligent, but that was the only thing that jarred and it didn’t stop me really enjoying the book. The rest of her character & what she understands is well developed and convincing.

I read this in just a few days, starting on my daily commute and then shunning films and TV programs in order to complete it – a real page turner!

I found this to be a thought provoking story about the value of pain. I don’t remember having lingering thoughts on life from any of the best of John Grisham.

As a particular plus, there was no gratuitous glorification of sex or violence, although both were there. There were places in the story where other writers would have gone to town in this, but what Derek Ciccone has done is far more fitting for a story about a child and a guy. The military aspects would draw in the male readers who wouldn’t normally go for this kind of story.

I don’t yet know if I will ever reread this book, but I will remember it.

[Alison Forde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the literary equivalent of watching a Sly Stallone movie - it's not that I didn't enjoy it, but I feel slightly ashamed about it. A secret American agency/conspiracy/thriller plot kept me going well enough but was about as nutricious as a Dairylea Dunker.

[Jennifer Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

For an ebook that was free in the iTunes bookstore, I didn't have particularly high expectations for this novel. It would either be crappy or it would be book one in a series where I'd have to pay for all the other books. Or both.

This is neither. It is a standalone novel that has a fascinating plot, characters with depth, and loads of twists and turns. I'm a sucker for stories with a medical tie-in, and this has a very unique - and real - disease at its center.

I suppose there were some plot points that were a bit predictable, but there were also enough points that I would never have guessed to balance it out, in my opinion.

I'm not very good at writing reviews, but I really got sucked into this book. A fascinating read that I would definitely recommend.

[Spazzy Maz Brit [the insane one] · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far this book is AMAZING. And I know I'm not the "top-notch" book reviewer person, but this is a great book. It's basically about a man, who is struggling with his relationships and begins to bond with a girl, Carolyn, who has CIPA, which means she can't feel any pain. A government facility, Operation Anesthesia (I think) uses people with CIPA in the military, since they will continue on even if they got shot and such. They eventually come for Carolyn...but that's all I read so far. I'll keep you updated!!

[Vera · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only finished like half of this book then it got boring

[Liz Dowiak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Interesting enough to keep reading, but some parts were predictable. Certainly worth it as a free book!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Downloaded it for free and, on reflection, I'd have not been disappointed if I had paid for it.

Good plot, well written. What more do you want from an easy reading book?

[Stephen Clynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carolyn is a 4 year old girl with a very rare inherited genetic disorder called CIPA - Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. This means that she does not feel pain, hence the title of this novel. Throw into the mix a secret organisation which wants to exploit this condition and we have the makings of this far fetched thriller.

This is Derek’s debut novel and he clearly tries very hard. The plot develops at a steady place with lots of back story and positive character development. The workings of the secret organisation are cleverly written with lots of grey areas making you wonder who the good guys are and who are rogues.

So the basic idea of this novel is rather good but I found this novel to be just an okay 3 star read. Although the building blocks were there the story was told with a very heavy overuse of cliches. One or two trusted cliches would have been okay but this was constant through the dialogue between characters. It was like watching an episode of Catchphrase on television.

Also although the plot was good, the action was very far fetched. Yes, the general public can be quite altruistic but never going so far out of their way like these characters! Then there is the violence and the lack of morality to consider.

Altogether I found Painless to be a 3 star okay read. It did not excel in anyway. If it was a television drama, it would be one that just washes over you. Readers want a little more from their reading pleasure rather than finishing the book and thinking that was okay.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I was hooked by the mystery & action of the first chapter. Unfortunately by chapter four I hated it, I hated Carolyn & her parents.

As a mother I found it incredibly hard to believe that a three year old (almost four) would say words such as "apologise" & "Imagination" when at one point before she can't even say "FOUR" properly & says "foe" instead, as well as "ubee" for UV. The child was so annoying in behaviour & unrealistic speech patterns, the parents were just as bad, forever calling her "princess". I also found it hard to believe that a couple would hire a strange man to look after their child too & NOT check out his Disclosure or PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) to ensure he didn't have a criminal record or was on sex offenders list. Carolyn's parents came across as overprotective so it makes sense to me that they should have checked out Billy. Why not hire a woman?

I gave up on this halfway through, as story was so far fetched & characters so irritating & priorities all wrong.
I really wanted to like this book but couldn't.
Maybe it was meant to be some kind of comedy as there was an agent Osama Banana....

[Philippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it on my Kindle. I liked it a lot and got involved with the characters. I was fascinated by the medical issues and the details of the camp where the sufferers could live. However I am not very keen on thrillers and the latter part of the book had too many chases and too many twists and turns of plot for my taste. If it was written without the endless panic journeys I would have enjoyed it more.

[Carrie Kellenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded Painless from iTunes for free and it turned out to be a surprisingly good read. It had a unique and fast-paced storyline. Some of the events had happened, like Beth and Chuck's capture, were completely unexpected and I liked that Ciccone maintained an element of surprise throughout most of the novel.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this on a friends recommendation. Easy to get into and read and you get a feel for the characters early on.I did find it a little predictable in parts. The books conclusion seemed to be over too quickly, I'm sure the author could embellished the ending , every thing happened too easily
The content of the book reminded me of Dean Koontz early work.

[Julia Bs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great ,but not terrible. Sure it's full of cliches and metaphors, but I managed to finish it. I actually liked the concept. I do wish that the editors would buy a thesaurus and have the proofreaders actually do their job. It's not just this book, but all of the books I've read lately are so full of errors and that's a pet peeve of mine. Try it and see if you like it.

[Teejaybee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I liked about this book. The "mysterious & potential bad guy does good" is a good old character but done in a different way where the fact that it happened was better than the predictability that it would happen.

[LaToya Obasi · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good ideas in this book. I liked the premise and the characters had potential. However, most of the characters didn't fully come to life for me and the writing often felt clumsy and redundant (especially the dialogue). Overall, it wasn't bad! 3 stars for great ideas.

[Amy Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not going to finish this one. The beginning was good but it's getting too weird for me.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad for a free download

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

slow at first, but gets more interesting as it starts to pick up..

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual storyline makes this very readable.

[Luciano · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book was so original and interesting, that I thought the story would be one of those that my eyes are literally glued to the pages. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case and it's taken me almost two months to get through the books.

The book has its moments, but what killed the story for me was the amount of cheesy prose that I had to read thru. Just like I can't stand movies that don't know whether they are dramas or comedies, Painless was a book that I had a difficult time assimilating because of not being able to get a handle of the tone or color of the story. At times things played like a comedy. Other times like a drama. Other times a mixture of science fiction and horror. If the author, Derek Ciccone, would have had a clearer understanding of where he wanted the story to go, I think the story would have been so much better.

To give you an example of what I mean, towards the end of the book a group of characters is planning on leaving on a trip to another city. Although the scene could have been written a hundred different ways and worked, the author chose to write the scene so that it played off like tongue in cheek. It's like he felt he had to go funny, because of all the tension, but in actuality he changed completely changed the tone of the story. The line in question was. "We better be going because it's the last train to Clarksville." Obviously, he was referring to the title of the Monkeys big hit, Last Train to Clarksville. Some people might find the pop reference endearing. I found it cheesy.

If an author is going to be making cute, pop culture references in a story, it communicates to the reader that he does not take his story seriously, or for that matter his writing seriously. And if he is going to feel like that, how can he expect a reader to have respect for his writing, if he doesn't?

There is a sequel to this story I understand, but I rather read Green Eggs and Ham, five thousand times, than subject myself to more of the same. Just not my cup of tea.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interestingly strange story.

[Nicholas Thessin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!

Amazing book from start to finish. Never ending thrill ride! Author does a great job keeping us on our toes

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad little psychological thriller, spoilt a little by the characterization and vocabulary of the supposed 4 year old Carolyn.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit unbelievable. 5yr old Carolyn is more like 15

[john taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read,fast moving from the word go.
Difficult to put down.
I credit the author for writing such a good book,and brilliant story.A 5 * read. Recommended .

[Pauline Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a free book I picked up in my early Kindle days, and it's still cheap. It was in Amazon's top 100 free list for months, which is a good sign. There are two separate strands to the plot. The first is about a family with an unusual child, and Billy, who arrives to rent their cottage, and this part is very readable. The characters are not perfectly drawn, and some are more fleshed out than others, but they do feel more real than is usual in a book of this type, and they all have some serious history which gives them a bit of depth. Billy in particular is an interesting character, and there are intriguing mysteries in his past.

The other strand is about a secret military-type organisation, and this I found much less interesting. The focus is very much US-centric, with a great deal about Vietnam, Iraq, Iran and 9/11, and there are lengthy quotes from Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, and generally a lot of patriotism swilling about. Nothing wrong with any of that, naturally, but it seemed as if the author was using these events to create a certain emotional response and that doesn't play quite so well to those of us outside the US. It is also a somewhat clichéd plotline, with a predictable outcome.

The book's style strikes me as something a beginning author would produce - a little clunky, not really flowing, lacking self-confidence and over-heavy with the imagery, as if the author has taken a few creative writing classes, and hasn't quite developed his own voice. Frequently he explains or even repeats what has just been said in dialogue, as if not trusting the reader to follow along, even though there's nothing terribly convoluted in the plot. The pacing feels a little off, too - there are long descriptive or exposition passages, not all of which seem relevant. There are quite a few minor typos, but no worse than many such self-published books.

The major drawback is credibility. The fundamental premise is that the family would take on an unknown man, not just as a lodger, but also as a more or less full time child carer for Carolyn, the four-year-old girl, without checking his background or asking any proper questions. It would have been interesting, I think, to read about the first meeting between Billy and the parents to see just what took place and why they felt able to trust him, but although the author wrote this part, he edited most of it out. It would have been more believable, I think, if Billy had been around for a while - as a long-standing tenant, or perhaps employed as a groundsman or some such - and then got called upon to babysit later.

And then - the big stumbling block for me - after numerous incidents where Carolyn has been injured on Billy's watch, and after she was almost snatched from her home, he leaves her on her own while he chases after a potential kidnapper. No, I don't think so. No one could possibly be that stupid - could they? But then her parents are pretty stupid too - they let their feel-no-pain reckless daughter run about the wilderness with sparklers. And sometimes you wonder if Billy is really all there. Having chased a guy across Montreal and tracked him down to a bar, he sits watching his quarry and eating a meal until the guy gets up to leave, when - surprise! - the chase begins all over again. Why wait? And if he doesn't want to approach him directly, why not use the waitress to take a message?

I confess that I began to lose interest at this point and started skimming to get to the end. This is not a bad book, if you like this sort of thing, and the plot is neatly worked out most of the time, although the characters have to do some crazy things sometimes to get it moving in the right direction. But the writing isn't strong enough to create any real tension or excitement, the twists are visible from five miles away and the ending was never in doubt. Even the big reveal about Billy's past was hardly a surprise. Ultimately, it wasn't for me, but those who don't mind the illogicalities and the obvious plotlines and the endless descriptions of banal meals and clothing might enjoy it. Two stars.

[Laurel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cast of characters: Billy is a wannabe writer with a secret past. Through his beautiful, independent (trust fund) publisher, Dana, he comes to live in the caretakers cottage on Beth and Chuck Whitcomb's large but run down estate. Beth inherited the estate but she and Chuck are poor and need child care for their soon to be four year old, Carolyn. Billy receives free rent in exchange for babysitting. Poor Beth is rich Dana's adopted sister.

Plot: Carolyn was born with CIPA, an unusual genetic disorder that does not allow her to register physical pain. Of course the U.S. government has a secret program to kidnap kids with CIPA and turn them into lethal military weapons. In addition to identifying and kidnapping children with this disorder, the government also kidnaps their parents and turns them into breeders in order to swell the ranks. All of this takes place on an old plantation. Smells like slavery? Sounds like slavery? Even has a Miss Rose who is the diabolical doctor's cook when she isn't breeding 18 or so CIPA weapons. Of course Carolyn is discovered by the evil Dr. Jordan and only Billy can save Carolyn from capture with the help of rich Aunt Dana. They also must rescue the kidnapped Beth and Chuck who are held in the breeders' quarters on the plantation.

The entire book is one big cliché. The only reason I continued to read this book had to do with a long plane flight and no other reading material downloaded. My bad. Who edited this book? We have a four year old who slips back and forth between a kid who can't pronounce v sounds because she lost her front teeth (haff) to a kid who spews "Aunt Dana was worried about infection" or "Between you and me, I'd rather eat than hear one of Billy's stories." Don't know who is more at fault here ... The author for bad writing, the editor for not editing or the publisher for authorizing publication?

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially there were two stories being told, one about a little girl with CIPA and one about a secret military organisation that obviously recruited CIPA sufferers because they were fearless. I wasn’t sure where the two would come together and it took a while to see were the author was going with this.

It turned out to be quite a horrific plot where CIPA sufferers and their parents were kidnapped and held captive for the rest of their lives, the children to become soldiers the parents to breed more CIPA soldiers!

I’d like to say it’s a bit far fetched but my faith in any government isn’t that good and I believe anything is possible………let’s hope Derek hasn’t given them any ideas lol

I enjoyed the story more in the beginning when we were learning about Carolyn and trying to find her diagnosis but found the plot a bit complicated and less enjoyable when it came to the military side of the story and I began to skip sentences here and there through boredom in those parts. One particular part of the story seemed a little over written, it was during the first visit to the plantation and we were subjected to a large block of irrelevant information about ‘5th generation this and 3rd generation that’ and I don’t quite understand why it was left in, maybe word count or perhaps I missed some relevant info when I skip read the whole passage!

Overall I thought it was a entertaining read.

[Hank Dunlap · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am only 50 pages in but so far this book has been interesting even though I haven't quite figured out the plot yet I like the characters and it is is interesting learning about their personalities, as the story unfolds the characters stories do as well and i think it is very entertaining learning about Carolyn.


I am now on page 247 and I really love what an interesting character Carolyn and it is almost scary for me watching Billy's past creep up on him as everybody finds out about his story, and as he look s into Beth's past abandonment and rebellion and starts to find out that she may not be telling the full truth about what happened at the train station when

Carolyn has been put in the hospital now and tension is building after she jumped off the barn and lives just to keep every body guessing about what is different about Carolyn Whitcomb.